By 1848, powering a building with gas was unexceptional. The Treasury Building, Georgetown College, and several local hotels had gas plants on site to generate fuel for light and heat. But there was no public company to supply gas, and residents were becoming impatient. Pennsylvania Avenue was the only street in the capital that was lit at night (by oil), and nearby Baltimore, and Philadelphia both had gas companies.

Interestingly, gas was also being produced near the Capitol grounds - in the basement of a private home. James Crutchett, an inventor from Ohio, moved to Washington and built a house just north of the Capitol (See below). In that house, he built a gas generator which provided heat and light.

Crutchett's house became a sensation. Local papers reported on the house's remarkable fuel, driving interest in a gas lantern on the roof of the Capitol building. The gas lantern was installed in 1847, but Congress was not happy with Crutchett as a supplier. In 1848, Charles Douglas, the Commissioner of Public Buildings, suggested that Crutchett be replaced. This resulted in an outcry for the founding of a public gas company to provide gas throughout Washington.

Crutchett's gas-powered house, from the street (first picture) and from the Capitol (second picture)